Shoved inside a hot gym.
Packed onto a wrestling mat.
Each team was waiting anxiously to see who has won.

All of us have spent the last few months working towards this
and in the middle of the gym,
middle of the mat,
middle of a team,
was me.

Looking around at all the people, taking it all in.
The baby crying,
the older sister on her phone,
the brother being scolded
What were they all thinking?

The judges sat behind their table,
but what were they contemplating?

The cheers had been cheered,
the dances had been danced,
the performances performed.
With each minute that passed, we grew more restless
All wanted to know who had won
The crowd, the coaches, the teams, me.

What were we all thinking?
When the moment had come
the results finally ready.
Were we thinking of being able to leave?
Were we thinking of the relief of finally knowing who had won?
Were we thinking of the joy of winning?
Or were we preparing ourselves for the loss?
Telling ourselves that winning isn’t everything.
That all the hard work was still worth it.

As third and second place are taken
The worst case scenario becomes reality.
What were we thinking?
Were we thinking realistically or still hoping for the win?
Holding onto the hope because in the end,
we never know what people are thinking.